Every week we'll send you snapshots of veggies in your share. You can always find more recipes and storage info on our
blog and
website.
Mesclun: A freshly harvested bag of pre-washed, ready-to-eat greens! There are at least six different varieties of greens in the mix this week. Lots of yummy salad toppings in the shares! Keep the greens cold once you get home; if they warm up, they'll start to deteriorate.
Tomatoes: ALL Share members receive a bag of tomatoes! These are red, pink, and heirloom tomatoes. Lean & Green share members receive one pint of cherry tomatoes (they're labeled!) Store tomatoes at room temperature.
Sorrel: Sorrel is a green leaf vegetable native to Europe. It is also called common sorrel or spinach dock. In appearance sorrel greatly resembles spinach and in taste sorrel can range from comparable to the kiwifruit (or lemons or a combo) to a more acidic tasting older leaf (due to the presence of oxalic acid which increases as the leaves gets older). Young sorrel may be harvested to use in salads, soups or stews (or hummus!). Young sorrel leaves are also excellent when lightly cooked, similar to the taste of cooked chard or spinach. Older sorrel is best for soups and stews where it adds tang and flavor to the dish. I hope you enjoy - this is a seasonal specialty that will soon be gone until next fall! Store as you would other greens - lightly wrapped in plastic.
Garden Cress: Slightly different than upland or water cress, garden cress is a delicacy. It can be used as a garnish for your sandwich, sushi, crostini, lettuce salads, salmon, burger, omelet, or hard-boiled egg. You can also saute it in butter for about 10 minutes and serve as a side dish. Cress will keep in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Stand stems in a container of cold water and cover the tops with a plastic bag. Wash cress and dry well just prior to using. To keep leaves crisp, do not let them soak. Tired leaves can be revived by rinsing in cool water.
Zucchini: This time of year, tender zukes are a treat. Store unwashed in the crisper. Use in a few days. Try grating them, and saute lightly in butter. Or eat them raw in salads. Shred them and mix into muffins or other baked goods. The possibilities are endless!
Red Russian Kale: Red Russian kale is a green kale with purple stems, and while these leaves are tender enough to eat raw, cooking adds a sweetness and tenderness that makes these greens just as versatile as chard. This type of kale grows best in the early season and late season, so we'll only have it for a couple more weeks before other varieties of kale appear in the the heart of summer. Store in your crisper drawer loosely wrapped in plastic.
Bunched Beets: These bunched beets are starting to pop up! Fresh, tender beets this week, coming at you with their tender green tops still intact! These bunched beets were freshly harvested and have their tops on. You can eat beet greens as well as the roots. The tops are great in salads or sauteed. Beets are great this time of year grilled in a foil pouch with other veggies, or shaved thinly over salads. It's best to separate the greens and store beets and greens individually wrapped in plastic.
Fennel: I'm so happy fennel is back in my diet! This is one of those crops that I turned my nose at for years, thinking it was not pleasant and scary to handle. And then, I tried it and now I LOVE it. It is crunchy and slightly sweet with the flavor of anise. This is young, tender fennel so it will be best raw, but you can cook it in Italian dishes (it pairs especially well with tomatoes). We'll have it coming in throughout the season. Fennel is composed of a white or pale green bulb from which closely superimposed stalks are arranged. To prepare, cut off the hard bottom and slice vertically or into quarters. Or cut the bulb in half lengthwise, cut out the core, and cut into strips. Add it raw to salads or try some thinly sliced fennel on your sandwich. Top thinly sliced fennel with plain yogurt and mint leaves. Or braise, roast or saute it. It is done when tender enough to pierce easily with a skewer. You can also enjoy the fronds - use them to garnish your fennel dish, chop and toss onto a salad, make a pesto from them, add them to a juice (if you're a veggie juicer), or use them when cooking fish to infuse that fennel flavor!
Scallions: often referred to as green onions, are a young onion with a small, white tip and a bright green, tall stem. You can use the whole thing in a recipe but I usually chop off the very bottom of the bulb, and then keep chopping up the stem until the chopped parts become less moist/crisp and more fibrous/leafy. The remaining parts make an excellent addition to soups or salads bringing a mild onion flavor and nice hint of color.
Green Garlic: Where scallions are young onions, green garlic is young garlic that is still fresh, and not cured. It is actually the result of thinning out our garlic rows! Keep this in your fridge and use as you regularly would use garlic.
Parsley: Chopped parsley can be sprinkled on a host of different recipes, including salads, vegetable sautés and grilled fish. Combine chopped parsley, garlic and lemon zest, and use it as a rub for chicken, lamb and beef. Add it to soups and tomato sauces. It is a key flavor ingredient in the mediterranean dish tabouli and in the Argentinian chimichurri sauce (both recipes below). Parsley is one of those vegetables with huge nutritional benefits, even when using just a couple tablespoons of the minced green. The vitamin content is very high (particularly vitas A, C, K, and folic acid). And what's more, the activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, a food that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens.
Featured Recipes
Tomato Fennel Salad
1 1/2 pounds heirloom tomatoes
1 small fennel bulb
2 tbsp good olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Core the tomatoes and cut into wedges. Remove the top of the fennel (save some fronds for garnish) and slice the bulb very thinly crosswise with a knife or on a mandoline.
Toss the tomatoes and fennel in a bowl with the olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Garnish with 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, season to taste, and serve.
Fennel And Kale Pasta
Sweet fennel and greens work beautifully together.
1⁄2 c olive oil
1 onion, minced
1 medium fennel bulb fronds removed, halved and thinly sliced (or 2-3 small bulbs)
salt and pepper
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 lb spaghetti
up to 3 lb kale or other cooking green washed and chopped
1 c grated parmesan
Heat oil in a large braising pan or skillet with a cover. Add onion; sauté over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in fennel; sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until fennel is tender, about 8 minutes longer. Stir in vinegar; simmer to blend flavors, 1 minute longer. Adjust seasonings.
Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta; return to boil. Add kale; continue to cook until pasta is al dente, about 7 minutes.
Drain pasta and greens; toss with fennel mixture and cheese. Transfer portions to warm pasta bowls. Garnish with reserved minced fennel fronds. Serve immediately with more cheese passed separately.
Zucchini-Potato Frittata
Frittatas are so adaptable. The addition of herbs can change the tune of a frittata as will the type of cheese used so lots of room to be creative. The recipe has been adapted from Andrea Chessman's Serving up the Harvest. Serves 4-6.
1 medium zucchini (or half a bag of frozen)
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or sunflower)
1.5 lbs potatoes
1 large onion
1/4 lb bacon or some ham, diced
6 eggs
1 cup grated cheddar
Thaw zucchini. Squeeze out extra juice and set aside.
Heat 3 TB oil over medium-high heat in a large well-seasoned cast iron skillet or ovenproof nonstick skillet. Add the potatoes and onion, reduce the heat to med-low, and cook, flipping and stirring occasionally until the potatoes are soft, about 20 mins (you can cover to speed the process and hold in moisture). Increase the heat to medium-high and continue cooking, tossing occasionally, until potatoes are brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon but keep the skillet on the burner.
Add the zucchini and bacon to the skillet and saute over medium high heat, until the bacon/ham is cooked. Remove zucchini and bacon. Keep the skillet over the heat.
Beat the eggs and pepper to taste in a medium bowl until well blended. Fold in the potatoes, zucchini and bacon, and cheese.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add 1-2 TB oil to the skillet as needed to lightly coat the bottom. Pour in the egg mixture, reduce heat to med-low, and cook without stirring until the bottom is set about 10 minutes. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the top is set, 5 to 15 minutes, checking every 5 mins.
Place a serving plate on top of the skillet and carefully invert. The frittata should fall out of the pan. Cut into wedges and serve.
Sorrel Hummus
From My New Roots: Inspried Plant-based Recipes for Every Season by Sarah Britton
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 oz small sorrel leaves, roughly choped (about 3/4 cup roughly chopped)
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 15-ounce can)
1/4 cup tahini
Grated zest of one organic lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1 1/2 teaspoons raw honey or pure maple syrup
Cold pressed olive oil for serving
Add garlic to the food processor and pulse to mince. Add remaining ingredeints and blend until smooth. Season with more salt if needed. Transfer hummus to a serving bowl, drizzle with olive oil and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Spaghetti with Beet Greens and Tomatoes
1/2 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small vidalia or walla walla onion halved and thinly sliced into half moons
2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon crushed pepper flakes
1 bunch beet greens from about 6 beets, thoroughly rinsed and coarse stems removed
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 pint mixed cherry tomatoes halved
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Freshly grated pecorino optional
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Meanwhile, in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil over a medium flame. Saute the onions until al dente, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for another minute.
Coarsely chop the beet greens into strips about 1 to 2 inches wide. Add the greens to the pan along with the sugar, salt, and water. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook the greens, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir to combine. Simmer the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated, then stir in the vinegar and lemon juice. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have begun to soften, wrinkle, and release their juices, about 10 minutes.
Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the greens. Toss to combine, adding a splash of cooking water if necessary to create more of a sauce.
Ladle the pasta into two bowls and garnish with a generous glug of olive oil and some grated pecorino, if that's your bag.
Spicy Brassica Salad with Roasted Beets & Apples
Brassica mix
Tart apples sliced thin, or grated
Roasted Beets
Red onions, cippolini onions, or shallots sliced thin
Walnuts (toasted slightly first)
Mix greens, sliced or grated apples and roasted beets in a bowl. Dress with dressing and serve with a sprinkling of toasted walnuts on top. Add crumbled feta or goat cheese for an extra panache.
Braised Winter Greens w/ Garlic and Balsamic Vinegar
From the Rebar Modern Food Cookbook by Audrey Austerberg and Wanda Urbanowicz.
1 large bunch 0f Greens
1 TB olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp red chile flakes
1 TB balsamic vinegar
cracked pepper to taste
Stem and wash the greens. Heat a skillet over medium heat, add oil, then garlic and stir until lightly golden. Add the chiles and greens. Toss with tongs, sprinkle with salt, and cover to allow volume to steam down. Uncover and continue to toss on high heat until greens are wilted. Add vinegar. Remove greens from pan. Return pan to burner. Reduce any remaining juices and drizzle over greens. Crack pepper over the top and serve immediately.
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